Side RP: The Counselor

Moira, when you woke up, you noticed an urgent spacefleet message that had arrived during the night. The new Potential counselor, your new mentor, has changed his schedule and will arrive today instead of the next day as originally planned. Cass and you have previously discussed that you would be the one to welcome him because of your planned work relationship.
As you check the time at which he is supposed to be beamed down to the plaza, you realize you only have half an hour left to get ready and welcome him

The plaza is large and empty. There's a fountain in the middle of it and two security officers chatting in a corner but nobody else is here at the moment. The little business that is already happening is going on in the cafes and stores around the plaza but it looks like this town doesn't really wake up until later in the day.
There is no transporter down here - all transporter activity is conducted only from CC1. Moira walks up to the spot where she remembers herself beaming down to yesterday and waits. It only takes a few minutes until someone starts to materialize in front of her.

The man in front of her looks almost human but the light ridges on his neck reveal that he must be mixed. He is short and skinny with very light blond hair and pale skin. He is wearing a blue spacefleet uniform, his collar markings are that of a Lieutenant. When he turns to look at Moira, she sees in his face that he's very young, in his early twenties.
His eyes light up when he sees Moira and he says: "Lieutenant Commander Bruce?", he says. "I'm Lieutenant Maximilian Temple but just call me Max. Do you mind if I call you Moira? At least while we're not on duty. I generally prefer first names"

"Oh, it was terrible. I was supposed to get dropped off on starbase 202 by the USS Sydney and then take a shuttle from there so I would arrive tomorrow but the Sydney got called off for an emergency so I had to transfer to a civilian freighter that passed by the system. That crew was great, amazing poker players - I lost five strips of latinum in just one night - but the ship was terrible. I'll have to go to medical to get my ears checked out. The engines were blaring 24 hours a day and my quarters were right by the engines." He suddenly interrupts himself and says: "I'm sorry, I'm blabbering. i tend to do that. If you notice me do that, feel free to interrupt. Unless it's important."

He finally seems to notice your hand and he shakes it firmly. "So, Moira, you're an engineer, chief of engineering, even. What made you want to switch profession now? Have the engines become boring? Personally, I never cared too much about technology, at least not how it works. I love using technology."

"I've heard about it. You'll be hard pressed to find anyone in the fleet who hasn't. I think. Maybe not. But still, it's a big deal at the moment. First contact with such a... foreign race..." He looks around and indicates toward the large sports bag he's carrying over his shoulder. "Should we find some place to sit down? This is getting heavy.

"I graduated from the academy three years ago and have been serving as assistant counselor on the USS Cascade since then. I got promoted to Lieutenant four months ago and have been waiting for reassignment and my own counseling position since then." He doesn't take anything from the replicator. "I didnt expect that the job would come with a trainee but we'll make it work. I'm pretty much fresh out of training myself so I remember all the teaching techniques that helped me the most."

"I was born in England, also on Earth. Never spent much time there though. My mother is from Ta'al and I spent most of my youth there. Ever heard of the Narrak Canyon? My house was less than a kilometer from the north cliff. No siblings, I'm afraid, but I have a cousin on Earth. He's an architect, not with the fleet. Haven't seen him in almost two years but we keep in touch over subspace. His wife is pregnant. Or is the baby already born? No, I don't think so. I was planning to visit him again soon but with the new assignment, this will have to wait a bit longer, I guess."

"Earth has never been my home. It was more of a holiday destination to me. I know I look very human but I have been raised primarily by my mother. When was the last time you visited your home, Moira? You have a strong accent which I believe comes from Scotland. Do you spend a lot of time there?"

"I'm sorry to hear about your father. I know the feeling of not being able to go home when you really need to. Different situation but when my father remarried, I wanted to come but the academy doesn't give you leave outside the regular times unless it's an absolute emergency." He focuses his eyes on Moira. "But let's get back to business. You want to be a Counselor. Any experience, classes on that topic you took at the academy? Were you always the one to solve your brothers' arguments?"

"Oh boy", Max mutters quietly, then, a bit louder: "Well, everyone has to start somewhere, right? You're good with engines and that stuff. And you're a team leader. I'm sure there's some transfer skills in there."

He blushes at Moira's reaction. "Oh, I did not mean to criticize you. I'm sure we can make this work, don't worry. When I started at the academy, I didnt know what I was doing. Now, I'm a certified spacefleet counselor. And I don't care about your liquor stash, as long as you drink it while you're off duty, of course. But you know that already. You've been in spacefleet mich longer than I have and know all the regulations, probably better than I do. Although I just studied them and..." His voice drifts off and he sighs. "Anyway, I'm glad to be part of the crew and I'm sure well make a fine team, Moira"

"Sounds good", Max replies as he gets up from the bench. "I guess I should meet the commander. Gosh, I haven't had to introduce myself to a new commanding officer since my first assignment started. I hope I don't mess up again. I've never played volleyball before so that will already turn into a disaster. But at least I won't anger the commander by winning too much. I've heard of that happening before. Erica told me when we were at the academy."

"She's my best friend from Academy. We were in a lot of classes together and usually studied together. We were pretty close but haven't been as much in contact anymore since we were posted to two different ships. She's doing deep space exploring so even subspace messages take a long time to arrive. It's just not the same as being together for hours every day. I regret not talking to her more often but you know how it goes, I would think"
He follows you, unsure whether it's okay to let you carry his bag or not but he doesn't speak up about it.

"Quick rundown please. It always pays off to be prepared. I could have avoided the disaster with the Vellegan delegation if I had prepared myself better. I don't want to repeat that with my future commanding officer if I can avoid it."